Asthma/depression - BUT I WANT TO DIVE

[iluvtheocean]

i've only had 1 time where it was nearly impossible to catch my breath after a 100' dive within ndl on 28% --- but it was an ID10t error -- had the cummerbund too tight...

i'll ask my brother in law if asthma/depression in regards to the navy -- should be a reliable source since he's in Medical as an O4

 

[Skittl1321]

No, and no.

Maybe you should try recreational diving first, maybe even tech diving. Make sure you actually like diving. There are many things that are different in practice than in theory. And being a skilled diver makes you more competitive for a commercial position, though there is obviously different training you have to go through for that.

The Navy isn't going to happen for you, asthma disqualifies you, there is nothing you can do about that. (I lost an Air Force scholarship due to medical, I understand.) I have doubts about commercial positions, but maybe you could get one. Are you already a welder? It seems like most commercial diving schools require that you already hold the land certificate. Maybe not all.

 

[cogaritis]

I'm an application developer (Java, .NET, whatever), but I'm tired of IT. I fell into this position naturally as I have always been interested in how things work. That is one of my driving factors. I am extremely curious. (Also why I am attracted to physics.) I wanted to get into a more physically and mentally challenging career, however.

Aye, the Navy (or Army, or Air Force) isn't going to happen. I should, perhaps, update the original post reflecting this. I wasn't sure this morning, but I am now.

What is tech diving? This is a new term for me. I've always been interested in the ocean. I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was young, and I've been interested in salt-water fish tanks for the past 10 years. I can't say that I'd appreciate diving without trying it, and that is definitely good advice - to try it before making such a decision. But I'm reaching that point where I need to make a decision and I need to make one soon. As I've said, I've never had something hit me this hard before.

I'm not a welder currently, but if that makes me a better candidate (common sense says it does), then bring it on! I have no problems learning skills that I can put to use. I've done plumbing before though.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

"Tech diving" is an advanced form of "recreational" diving. It requires training and skill beyond what you learn in your initial scuba training. Dives that involve overhead environments (wrecks, caves) and / or decompression are examples of "Tech" diving.

Best wishes.

 

[sheeper]

cogaritis, don't get discouraged. I also have asthma and there is a lot that can be done. Yes, it is likely a disqualifier for military service. However, it does not mean no to diving.

You must get evaluated by a pulmonary specialist. Preferably one with some dive medicine background. Either way, contacting DAN (Divers Alert Network) with the details will answer the question. THIS IS A MUST. Nobody here or anywhere can tell you what to do without this step.

My asthma has never stopped me from diving....and diving a lot (150-200 dives a year). And diving deep. It has never posed an issue for me and my doctor(s) clear me to dive every year.

In addition, my asthma has not stopped me from my career. Without going into details, lets just say that I'm in the homeland security business. In that role I also get to do some diving and have no issue.

so do not give up and do not despair!

 

[cogaritis]

cogaritis, don't get discouraged. I also have asthma and there is a lot that can be done. Yes, it is likely a disqualifier for military service. However, it does not mean no to diving.

You must get evaluated by a pulmonary specialist. Preferably one with some dive medicine background. Either way, contacting DAN (Divers Alert Network) with the details will answer the question. THIS IS A MUST. Nobody here or anywhere can tell you what to do without this step.

My asthma has never stopped me from diving....and diving a lot (150-200 dives a year). And diving deep. It has never posed an issue for me and my doctor(s) clear me to dive every year.

In addition, my asthma has not stopped me from my career. Without going into details, lets just say that I'm in the homeland security business. In that role I also get to do some diving and have no issue.

so do not give up and do not despair!

glad to hear it. I definitely will not just roll over and accept defeat.

 

[meagicano]

So, if Advair can prevent my attacks, what's the issue? Convincing someone else that the medication can actually prevent an attack? I'll run on a treadmill in a freezer and take a spirometry test. Would this be convincing enough? Please don't take this as offensive toward you or defensive toward me. I understand that this is a huge liability. But if it can be prevented, why not?

Another question - people with bad vision. (Mine is 20/20, but I'm curious.) Are people with glasses allowed to dive? Are people who have their vision corrected with glasses to meet the minimum requirements allowed to dive / get certified?

I was in the Canadian Navy and was diagnosed with asthma during my service. I basically got really sick during training and it affected my lung function to the point where I was unable to continue training and it was considered a violation of what we call "universality of service."

At that point, knowing I was going to be medically released, all I wanted to know is if I could dive again. I saw many doctors in a few cities including military doctors who were considered dive MO's. I was told that if I needed medication like Advair or Symbicort to control my asthma symptoms then I was, in no uncertain terms, not to be diving. Even use of my rescue inhaler in the week before diving is a sign I should not be underwater as I could be susceptible to an attack.

I stayed out of the water for a couple of seasons, stopped taking Advair (which I went to after Symbicort) and started diving again being checked out by a respirologist and a dive MO, careful to ease back into things. I had to thumb a few second dives, been extra cautious around current, have had to ignore peer pressure and have been quite conservative because being underwater isn't worth more than my life.

It's worth talking to DAN and specialists before deciding what to do, but medical clearance is a requirement for training and as Wookie said, asthma is a disqualifier for many commercial dive training centres. I just wanted to share my experience!

 

[freewillie]

So, if Advair can prevent my attacks, what's the issue? Convincing someone else that the medication can actually prevent an attack? I'll run on a treadmill in a freezer and take a spirometry test. Would this be convincing enough? Please don't take this as offensive toward you or defensive toward me. I understand that this is a huge liability. But if it can be prevented, why not?

Another question - people with bad vision. (Mine is 20/20, but I'm curious.) Are people with glasses allowed to dive? Are people who have their vision corrected with glasses to meet the minimum requirements allowed to dive / get certified?

Short answer is that Advair or similar medications can control your symptoms to a certain degree but it is incorrect to assume that it can completley prevent asthma attacks. It may still be possible for you to trigger an attack even if you are on medication.

First, you should get medical clearance for recreational diving from your doctor. If he or she feels uncomfortable or is unfamiliar with the medical aspects of diving with asthma and depression you should get a referral from DAN to a nearby doctor who is familiar with diving.

Asthma is a relative contraindication to diving. It will depend on the type and severity of asthma and how much medication is required to control the symptoms. It will also depend on how much Advair you are taking and how easy it is to treat any breakthrough symptoms or attacks. In general, the more mild the asthma with few if any medications and few if any attacks the more likely you can dive with mild asthma. The higher the dose and more frequent the attacks with more difficulty treating exacerbations the more you should not dive. Moderate asthma with maintenance medications is more tricky because it falls in between the two and depends on the above factors.

Depression is also relatively contraindicated. For patients who are well controlled and maintained on set dosing of medication and suffer no ill side effects like lethargy or impaired motor skills would be okay to dive. For patients who have active symptoms of depression then absolutely no diving.

For both of the above the answer is that it depends on the underlying severity of condition. Mild conditions are more likely to dive, moderate to severe then no. And the previous issues are for general recreational diving with a depth limit to about 60-65 ft.

 

[cogaritis]

Short answer is that Advair or similar medications can control your symptoms to a certain degree but it is incorrect to assume that it can completley prevent asthma attacks. It may still be possible for you to trigger an attack even if you are on medication.

First, you should get medical clearance for recreational diving from your doctor. If he or she feels uncomfortable or is unfamiliar with the medical aspects of diving with asthma and depression you should get a referral from DAN to a nearby doctor who is familiar with diving.

Asthma is a relative contraindication to diving. It will depend on the type and severity of asthma and how much medication is required to control the symptoms. It will also depend on how much Advair you are taking and how easy it is to treat any breakthrough symptoms or attacks. In general, the more mild the asthma with few if any medications and few if any attacks the more likely you can dive with mild asthma. The higher the dose and more frequent the attacks with more difficulty treating exacerbations the more you should not dive. Moderate asthma with maintenance medications is more tricky because it falls in between the two and depends on the above factors.

Depression is also relatively contraindicated. For patients who are well controlled and maintained on set dosing of medication and suffer no ill side effects like lethargy or impaired motor skills would be okay to dive. For patients who have active symptoms of depression then absolutely no diving.

For both of the above the answer is that it depends on the underlying severity of condition. Mild conditions are more likely to dive, moderate to severe then no. And the previous issues are for general recreational diving with a depth limit to about 60-65 ft.

Aye, it would be foolish to assume that I can eliminate it completely, though I'd feel more comfortable after strenuous testing confirms that I can't trigger an attack. That right there will tell me if I can dive or not.

Depression - It's well controlled and I suffer no ill cognitive effects. I'm confident that I can discontinue my medication, if necessary (with approval from my psych, of course).

I have an appointment with my doc on Friday. I'm going to pick up a script for Advair. After that, I guess I'll let it soak in for a week or two then start my training. My boss was in the Navy for 20 years as a diver - funnily enough, he was never really concerned about my asthma when I mentioned it to him and that I wanted to join as a Navy diver. (I've accepted that the military isn't going to happen, but that doesn't mean I won't train for the same tests that they do.)

I've spoken with DAN. I'll talk to a DAN doc after I confirm.

Then I need to find a school that will accept candidates with asthma...

 

[AlexL]

Depression - It's well controlled and I suffer no ill cognitive effects. I'm confident that I can discontinue my medication, if necessary (with approval from my psych, of course).

contact DAN and confirm there are no known interactions with your meds and diving. if there are none, and you're ok with where you are now, just stay on em and have your psych sign a medical waiver for your training.

i've had multiple 'false stops' on meds, where i thought it was 'well controlled with no ill cognitive effects' and so it would be OK to come off. reality quickly pointed out that was not the case after tapering the dosage; so back to full dosage i went, and thats OK.

Its not the diving that aggravates my depression, i find it helps quite a bit, as any problems gnawing at my mind mind are topside; its the day after diving and having to come back to The Real World that are rough and allow the dark claws to sneak back in.